Squirrel Spirit Animal: What Does a Squirrel Symbolize?
Squirrels are chirpy characters that are full of personality, and when we catch sight of them, either in their natural habitat in the woods or in suburban environments, they can hardly fail to put a smile on our faces with their playful antics.
However, more than this, squirrels are also animals filled with the spiritual power and magic of the woods they inhabit, and this means they can also be useful spirit guides. So in this post, we go into detail about the squirrel spirit animal to help you decide if he’s the right match for you.
Squirrel Symbolism
Let’s start by looking at some of the squirrel’s characteristics and what they represent.
1. Hard work
Squirrels are industrious little creatures and always seem to have something to do. Although, as we’ll see, they also know how to find the time to have fun, they always make sure they’ve taken care of business first before they take a break to enjoy themselves.
For this reason, squirrels can be seen as a symbol of hard work and getting the job done before taking the time to kick back and relax.
2. Planning for the future
One of the things squirrels spend a lot of their time doing, and one of the things they’re most famous for, is collecting nuts and acorns and storing them up for the winter – which is why we have the expression “to squirrel things away”.
This makes squirrels an obvious symbol of planning for the future and taking advantage of the good times to lay down provisions for moments when we might not experience such abundance.
3. Hope
Squirrels are most associated with the fall because that’s when they’re most active laying down their stores of food for the cold months ahead.
Fall and winter are considered the hardest and most barren of the seasons, a time when everything shuts down and goes to sleep.
However, in preparing for the winter, squirrels are also expressing hope and expectation that after the long, cold, dark season, everything will be born again and the good times will return, something that makes squirrels a symbol of hope.
4. Staying humble
Squirrels are not the biggest, most powerful or most beautiful creatures in the forest, but they never let this bother them.
They remain cheerful and chirpy, regardless of their limitations, and their happiness despite their diminutive size and unprepossessing nature makes them symbolic of remaining humble and being content with what one has.
5. Being alert to danger
Since they are small and weak in the face of predators that might want to make them into a meal, squirrels’ only defense is to remain vigilant and alert to danger, allowing them to escape into the trees at the first hint of trouble.
This makes them a symbol of remaining alert to danger and not letting one’s guard down or being taken by surprise.
6. The lighter moments in life
Although we’ve already noted that squirrels are hard-working and conscientious creatures that make sure they prepare for the future before taking a rest, they are also animals that know how to have fun when the time is right.
They can often be seen chasing each other around in the treetops, joyfully leaping from branch to branch.
This makes them symbolic of remembering to enjoy the lighter moments in life when appropriate – and they remind us to do the same.
Squirrel Spiritual Meaning
Now let’s think about what squirrels represent in spiritual terms.
1. The wisdom of the forest
Squirrels are the embodiment of the woods where they live, and as such, they represent the ancient wisdom of the forest.
Forests are magical places with powerful spiritual resonance, and you can tap into this by summoning your inner squirrel or focusing on squirrels during meditation and other spiritual practices.
2. Intuition
Although squirrels are intelligent creatures, they rely on their instincts to survive – behavior like storing up food isn’t the result of conscious planning but rather of their innate nature that comes from thousands of years of evolution.
In spiritual terms, squirrels remind us to listen to what our intuition is telling us and to follow its advice – because although we might not be fully aware of everything around us on a conscious level, our intuition can give us insights and guidance that we should not ignore.
3. Faith
When squirrels jump high into the air from one tree to another, it represents taking a leap of faith.
The squirrel believes that it will land on another branch and that the branch will hold, and this can be seen as a metaphor for maintaining our faith in our spiritual beliefs.
Whatever you believe in – whether you follow an organized religion or hold more esoteric beliefs – the squirrel reminds you to trust in your faith entirely and continue to devote yourself to your spiritual practices.
4. Positive energy
Squirrels are incredibly positive spirits, and they exude positive energy. This means if you are ever feeling low or seem to be surrounded by negativity, focusing on squirrel energy or summoning your inner squirrel can help give you a boost of positive vibes.
How Do You Know if the Squirrel Is Your Spirit Animal?
Having looked at squirrel symbolism and what squirrels represent spiritually, now let’s think about how you might know if the squirrel spirit animal is the right match for you.
1. You like to plan ahead
People with the squirrel as their spirit animal like to plan for the future – they are not the kind of people to say “let’s cross that bridge when we come to it”.
This could mean that you prefer to save your money for a rainy day rather than spending it all as soon as you get it, or it could mean you like to plan your trips in detail rather than working things out once you arrive at your destination.
However, no matter in which ways this aspect of your personality manifests itself, the squirrel is a kindred spirit who will help ensure your planning goes smoothly.
2. You are unconventional
Squirrels are eccentric creatures that often seem to behave in unexpected or frivolous ways. People with the squirrel spirit animal also like to be unconventional, trying different things and thinking outside the box when faced with problems.
3. You work hard and play hard
Squirrels embody the “work hard, play hard” ethic, and squirrel people tend to be the same.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to work diligently until the job is done and then go out and party to celebrate, the squirrel animal could be your perfect choice.
4. You need to be close to nature
Squirrel people are often the kind of people who like to spend time in nature, so if you are at your happiest when away from the city and out in the woods, it could be a sign that the squirrel spirit animal is already by your side.
Squirrel Totem
The squirrel is an animal that can teach us much, so now let’s think about some of the things we can learn from the squirrel totem.
1. Be mindful of the present and plan for the future
The only thing we can be sure about is the present since the past is already gone and the future may never come.
This is why it’s important to focus on the present and always live in the moment – but the squirrel totem reminds us to keep half an eye on the future at the same time.
Then, by being mindful of the present but preparing for the future, we can keep the right balance between making the most of every moment and avoiding hardship to come.
2. Use your intelligence
Squirrels are smart little creatures, and the squirrel totem reminds you to use your intelligence too.
Squirrels like to avoid conflict because they’re not brave warriors or accomplished fighters. This also means that when conflict is thrust upon them, they need to think their way out of trouble because fighting is unlikely to turn out well.
The squirrel totem urges you to do the same, reminding you to use your brain to escape from sticky situations rather than trying to use force.
3. Be resourceful
One of a squirrel’s greatest assets is his resourcefulness, and this is something else the squirrel totem can help you emulate.
With the squirrel totem at your back, you can learn to make the most of the opportunities life gives you, allowing you to take advantage of what you have rather than complaining or worrying about what you don’t.
4. Be positive and reject negativity
Something else the squirrel totem can help you with is rejecting negativity and maintaining an optimistic outlook on life.
Always remember to look for the positives in every situation instead of focusing on the things that don’t go your way.
For example, even failure can be seen as a chance to learn, grow and improve, and this is the kind of mindset the squirrel totem can help engender.
Squirrel Omens
Finally, let’s think about what it might mean if squirrels begin appearing to you, either in your waking life or in your dreams.
1. You need to lay down stores for the hard times ahead
If you dream of squirrels – or if you suddenly start seeing more of them than you would normally expect – the universe may be sending you a message that you are being overly profligate, so you need to rein in your spending and lay down stores for the future.
For example, if you are the kind of person who spends all their money and ends each month with nothing left in the bank, the message could be a warning that harder times are on the horizon.
This means you’d be better off putting some of your money aside to help you get through whatever leaner times lie ahead.
2. Take a leap of faith
We’ve seen how squirrels leaping from branch to branch can be seen as representing a literal leap of faith – but the meaning of seeing squirrels could also be more figurative.
For example, perhaps you have been given a new opportunity – maybe a promotion that will require you to move to somewhere new.
You might be reluctant to accept the proposal because you’re too concerned with the potential risk.
However, if squirrels suddenly start appearing to you, the message could be that you should accept the risk and jump into the unknown – because if you do, the risk will pay off and you’re likely to reap all the rewards.
3. Be alert to dangers around you
Sometimes squirrels can appear to you to warn you that you are in some kind of danger – and this is especially likely to be the correct interpretation if the squirrels you see seem nervous or uneasy.
It could mean that somebody is planning something against you, or perhaps circumstances are simply conspiring against you in some other way.
It might not be clear where the danger is coming from, but the best advice is for you to remain circumspect, staying alert to any dangers that could be coming your way.
4. Don’t forget to leave time for play
Another more welcome interpretation of seeing squirrels is that they are reminding you to make more time for play.
Everybody has responsibilities, and it can be easy to become too obsessed with all the things we have to do.
However, while it’s important to work hard to earn money and look after the people who rely on us, we also need to make space to enjoy the good times.
A joyful character and a useful spiritual ally
Squirrels are joyful creatures that enchant and delight us with their quirky and sometimes mischievous behavior, but if you take the squirrel as your spirit animal, he can prove to be a valuable spiritual ally and guide too.
The squirrel spirit animal helps you work hard and plan for the future, all while remembering to be present in the moment and enjoy what’s happening now.
He can help you remain positive in the face of adversity, encouraging you to take a leap of faith. He also reminds you not to forget to have fun when it’s appropriate, but only when the hard work is done.
